Public speaking & debate summer camp
They’ve made a start.
Help them go further.
We meet students where they are—and focus coaching where they need it most.
Your child may already speak confidently while needing stronger arguments, clearer organization or more purposeful gestures. We build on what is working and challenge them in the areas that need attention.
Their strengths give us a starting point. Their needs shape the next challenge.
Their needs shape the work
A confident voice does not tell the whole story. What we learn about each student helps determine where coaching and practice should focus.
Illustrative student examples — each child’s priorities are based on their own assessment and instructor observations.
A confident voice.
Compare possible evidence and defend the strongest choice.
Good ideas.
Apply that structure to a new speech.
A strong voice.
Use those gestures naturally throughout a speech.
We build on each student’s strengths, focus on the skills that need attention and add a further challenge when they are ready.
Understand. Focus. Challenge.
We meet your child where they are, build on their strengths and challenge them to reach the next level.
Assessment gives us a starting point. Instructor observations and feedback help identify what needs attention and how to move the work forward.
See how assessment and placement work
Assess individual skills and recognize the strengths your child already brings.
Identify where focused coaching and practice will help them develop.
Use instructor observations and feedback to guide what comes next, extending the task when they are ready.
We look within each area to recognize strengths and identify useful coaching priorities.
Connect with listeners while moving naturally between notes and the audience.
Use pace, pitch, emphasis and pauses to communicate meaning.
Choose movements that support the point being made.
Develop purposeful posture, expression and movement.
Create an opening, clear thesis and useful roadmap.
Connect claims, evidence and reasoning into an organized argument.
A common lesson. A different priority.
Students learn core skills together, while coaching addresses their individual priorities.
During the same lesson, one student may need help supporting a claim, another organizing an argument, and another delivering it effectively. Focused practice gives each student something specific to work on, with a further challenge when they are ready.
Hear it from a returning camper
A third-year camper describes learning different things each year and practicing skills through targeted drills.
“I’ve learned different things every single year.”
“If you are just starting out or an experienced highschool debater, this camp is just right.”
Historical student experiences, shared in their own words. Individual experiences vary.
Initial, mid-camp and final assessment reports help review strengths, progress and remaining priorities. Instructors use feedback and what they observe to guide the student’s next steps.
Questions parents ask
How we build on previous experience, choose coaching priorities and challenge students to move forward.
Talk with our teamPrevious classes give us a starting point. We assess what your child already does well and identify the skills that need attention. A confident speaker may work on supporting claims with credible evidence, while a student with good ideas may focus on organizing them. Coaching and practice address those priorities, with further challenges when the student is ready.
A strong voice is one valuable skill. Your child may still need help researching evidence, supporting and organizing claims, using varied gestures or responding thoughtfully to questions. Assessment and instructor observations help identify which skills deserve more attention, so coaching builds on their strengths while addressing their needs.
Speaking assessments examine individual skills within eye contact, voice, gestures, body language, introductions, and speech structure and support. Instructors use detailed feedback and what they observe during practice to choose meaningful priorities. Those priorities guide focused exercises, feedback and the next challenge.
Capitol Debate distinguishes new and returning campers and groups students with peers close to their age. Students may learn the same core lesson while working on different coaching priorities. Afternoon skill-focused labs provide targeted practice and feedback. Our Class Placement page explains the approach in more detail.
Instructors can extend the task when a student is ready for a greater challenge. After a student learns to support a claim with evidence, the next task might be comparing different sources and defending the strongest choice. The next step is guided by the student’s needs and what the instructor observes.
Tell our team which formats your child debates, their experience and their goals. A student assessment can help you discuss suitable next steps. Our existing competitive debate guidance explains how core speaking, reasoning and argument skills apply across formats; ask our team about current program offerings.
Meet them where they are. Help them go further.
Tell us where your child is today—and where you want them to grow.
Let’s discuss their experience, strengths and goals, and how Capitol Debate can help them take the next step.
Explore 2027 campus locations